Opening weekend of Revelation Speaks Peace at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis [Photo by Palmer Halvorsen]

Have you ever questioned God’s timing? I’ve just returned from Indianapolis and I can assure you — now more than ever — that His timing is perfect.

Sunil is just one of the more than 200 people that made decisions for Christ in Indianapolis in April. Each night he sat among a sea of faces, faithfully attending the Revelation Speaks Peace meetings at the Farm Bureau Building night after night. Over the weeks I got to know Sunil and the others in the crowd. No longer strangers, I heard their stories. Stories of pain, suffering, loneliness and shame. Each stumbling and searching for God in this hurting world.

The timing was perfect. God connected our team with just the right people at the right time.

Sunil found Him, and so did many others in Indianapolis. Let me introduce you to just a few of your new brothers and sisters.

Sunil’s Job Offer
Sunil is sharp—nothing gets past him! Raised in India, he moved to the United States to complete a Master’s degree. Sunil’s bright eyes flash as he shares his story. While studying in the US he left behind the faith of his childhood. He had been raised to know God. In fact, his mother still leads a church of 300 every Sunday in India.

Sunil studied hard and landed a great job working for eBay in California. To an outsider, Sunil appeared to have it all. A good job, living in a part of the world others only dream about. But, he was lonely. In his loneliness he reached out to God. Sunil describes God “showing up” in California, and his journey back to Him began.

Soon after, Sunil was offered a job in Indianapolis. His colleagues laughed when he told them about the offer. They criticized him for even considering leaving his current position. New in his journey back to God, Sunil prayed about his decision. He earnestly asked God to show him His plan. Sunil decided to accept the new job.

On February 16th Sunil arrived in Indianapolis. Without a friend in the city, he tried to settle in to his new life. Just 11 days after arriving he received an invitation to Revelation Speaks Peace. Intrigued, he decided to attend.

“I knew after the first meeting that God had plans for me to bring me to Indianapolis. God made plans and He did not forget me. I’m learning something, God is talking to me and teaching me things. Thank you Lord!”

Each night after the meeting Sunil studied the materials, researched the topics presented and found a new love for history!

God’s timing was perfect. If Sunil had arrived in Indianapolis just 30 days later, it would have been too late.

Hilda’s Test
When Hilda’s son Jamie came over to her house one evening he could only talk about one thing — the Revelation Speaks Peace meetings he was attending. Hilda could see a positive change in her son, and wondered what he was learning. Skeptical she decided to attend.

Hilda listened intently. She liked what she heard, and she could see the Holy Spirit was speaking to the heart of her once wayward son.

That night, Hilda felt a little confused and overwhelmed. She prayed and found an answer. A test.

After the meeting the next night Hilda approached me. She had $100 in cash in her hand and tried to give it to me. I politely refused. “God told me to give it to you,” she insisted. A little more forcefully, I again refused, telling Hilda that long ago I had made a promise to God that I would never personally accept money for preaching His word. Emotional, Hilda quickly left, and it wasn’t until later that I learned the rest of the story.

This was Hilda’s test. She had asked God to show her if the things she was learning were true or not. “If this is a man sent by you, then he’s not going to take the money.”

Hilda, along with Jamie and his family and Jamie’s sister all continued to attend the meetings and make decisions for Christ. Once again, His timing was perfect.

Linda’s Homecoming
As a young man, Linda’s father wooed her mother, introduced her to his faith and they were married in the Seventh-day Adventist church. A picture-perfect beginning that quickly spiraled into a life of misery.

When she was too young to even remember, Linda’s father abandoned his faith and began to drink heavily. The situation deteriorated and Linda and her five younger siblings ended up in the care of the state. Linda’s eyes share more than any words could share, of the grief she experienced growing up in the Knightstown Soldier’s Children’s Home.

Linda never forgot her parents’ happy beginning, and when she recently gained custody of her granddaughter, she knew it was time. Time to raise her in the Christian faith — time to give her the childhood she had missed.

Linda knew it was time not just for her granddaughter, but her chance, too. It was here time to claim her spiritual inheritance.

Just before her baptism, with tears in her eyes, Linda shared, “I know this wretched old body is nothing but filthy rags. But, I want to give Him the best of these filthy rags for the rest of my life.”

God has brought her home.

Discover Bible School

At the end of the series of meetings 177 individuals graduated from the Discover Bible School [Photo by Palmer Halvorson]

Each night in Indianapolis I would, at some point, sneak out to the front to greet guests for a few minutes as they arrived. I quickly learned that the best way to see them was to wait a the Discover Bible School table, because they all made a beeline to pick up their lessons as soon as they arrived!

Out of an estimated 500 students enrolled in the Bible School, 177 completed at least ten lessons. On the last weekend of the series we held a graduation. Young and old marched across the stage, huge smiles on their faces as they accepted their diplomas and gifts.

Noah, age 10, was one of our most enthusiastic graduates. He completed all 14 of the KidZone Bible study guides. His mother, Tammy—who also graduated from the Bible school — told us that the studies have had a profound impact on her son.

My last weekend in Indianapolis Sunil shared this with me. “I know what truth is now. I want to follow Him. I want to share this with others. I will not stop reading the Word and sharing. I was scared before, I didn’t want to offend anyone, but now I want to share. I already told 2 people.”

Is there any doubt that His timing is perfect? Our mission is to reach a lost and hurting world with the good news of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is working on hearts. Our job is to respond to His call to go where we are needed. He knew when Sunil would arrive in Indianapolis. He knew just when Jamie was ready to hear the message and share it with Hilda. And, he has known for more than 60 years that Linda needed to come home.